The present disclosure relates to personal stretching devices. More particularly, it relates to portable foot stretching devices for personal use, for example in the treatment of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is a common ailment that causes pain in the heel of the foot. Because the plantar fascia extends along the arch on the bottom of the foot, the pain associated with plantar fasciitis is typically experienced when walking or putting pressure onto the bottom of the foot.
Treatment of plantar fasciitis may include rest, ice, medications, shoe wear modifications, and/or physical therapy. Exercises that treat plantar fasciitis aim to stretch the foot and ankle, and usually focus on stretching the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia.
A typical stretch to treat plantar fasciitis is performed by pulling the toes backwards towards the ankle and shin, thus elongating the plantar fascia. The foot should be held in this position for 10 to 20 seconds, and repeated several times. Often, this stretch requires a person to be seated to maintain balance. Additionally, this stretch may be performed by placing a towel under the ball of the foot and pulling backwards on the ends of the towel in order to pull the toes towards to ankle and shin. Another typical plantar fascia and calf stretch is performed while standing on a step. The stretch is performed by balancing the toes on the edge of the step, with the heel overhanging the edge of the step. Next, the heel is lowered slowly over the edge of the step. The bottom of the foot and the muscles in the back of the leg will stretch as the heel is lowered towards the floor. The stretch should be held for 10 to 20 seconds. These exercises may fail to properly stretch the foot and ankle, and do not always result in resolution of the patient's symptoms.
A variety of therapeutic devices that facilitate the stretching of the heel exist for treatment of plantar fasciitis. Some plantar fasciitis treatment devices act as a brace or splint to hold the foot in a stretched position with the toes pulled backwards towards the shin for an extended period of time. These devices are most useful when the user is immobile for a long period of time, i.e. overnight. Other plantar fasciitis devices utilize a wedge or angled platform that lifts the foot upwards or backwards towards the shin to stretch the heel. These devices are limited in their use because they often define a single angle or few angles, which may not be the optimum angle for a particular patient. Additionally, these devices may be bulky and not easy to store for in-home use.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a device that can enable a proper foot and ankle stretch to treat plantar fasciitis and is easily transportable.